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Roca Encantada – Buenavista, Guimaras

Roca Encantada is the kind of rest house by the sea that many of us are dreaming to have. The idea that it’s a three-floor house that’s standing on a large rock at the corner of the beach would mean a lot of wonderful things. This unobstructed building can greatly absorb the fresh cool breeze from the sea. Its height gives it an awesome view of the horizon. Bushy green islets that are cool to the eyes adds more charm in its view. It’s also one of the first buildings in Guimaras that will see an early sunrise and the last one to see the sunset.

Roca Encantada in Guimaras
Roca Encantada – Buenavista, Guimaras

It may appear to be a typical rest house but Roca Encantada was declared a heritage house by the National Historical Institute on August 14, 2002. The Lopez clan had this built in 1910 in honor of Doña Presentacion Hofilena Lopez. It may look modern now after its renovation but this ancestral house looked entirely different when it was first built. This rest house is located in Navalas, Buenavista, Guimaras where the Spanish-era Navalas Church can also be found.

Photo courtesy of Chateau Du Mer Beach House and Conference Hall blog

 

Roca Encantada declared a Heritage House by NHI
Seal of Roca Encantada being declared as a heritage house

 

Beach Quality

While most luxurious rest houses have swimming pools this one has the sea right beside it. I’m sure the young Lopezes had a great time playing in the sand as our son did when we went there. The sand’s brownish color can give the wrong impression that the water is dirty but it’s definitely clean and suitable for swimming. The shore is full of leaves, twigs and a few plastics which may have been carried away by the waves from a nearby source. The town might need a stronger campaign against improper waste disposal and we hope that the residents will give more value to their environment and expect less trash in the future.

Child playing in the shore of Roca Encantada
Our son having fun in the sand

 

Our Experience at Roca Encantada

We went here right after our visit to Navalas Church. This privately-owned rest house is surprisingly open to the public. There’s an entrance fee of 50 pesos per head which are perhaps added to the maintenance cost of the house. Upon entering its gate, the first thing we noticed is how wide its open are is. The size of the rest house’s lawn can be compared to most car parks.

Garden of Roca Encantada Buenavista, Guimaras
A nice view of the garden of Roca Encantada

The next part that we were eager to see is its very own beach. It took us a bit of a walk to get there because of the size of the lawn. The beach wasn’t really bad despite the twigs, leaves and some plastics because if you look down below, you’ll see how clear the water is. It appears that the specks of dirt were pushed far to the sand to keep the water clean.

Roca Encantada, Guimaras with Family
Family picture in the beach of Roca Encantada
High stairway to the terrace of Roca Encantada
High stairway going up to the terrace of Roca Encantada

After hanging out on the beach and watching our son play in the sand, we checked out the rest house. Reaching its nirvana is a bit of a challenge because the stairs are fairly high. Upon getting there, we immediately sat down to the chairs to rest while the cool fresh air and the pleasant view of the sea. After getting some energy, we explored the house further and saw a lot of dead trees which might have been there even before the house was built. It was nice to see how clean the hallways and garden are.

Terrace of Roca Encantada
A wonderful view of the horizon in the terrace
dead trees in Roca Encantada Guimaras
Plenty of dead trees in the old ancestral house

 

Enchanted Rock

This rest house has all the elements that really make it a rest house. It was a nice experience to feel what it’s like to stay in a lavish house like this even for a short time. Roca Encantada is a Spanish word that means enchanted rock. The name fits perfectly as we were captured by the enchantment of its beauty.

 

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